Seven years have passed since the war on Kanto grounds ended due to the sacrifice made by Sir Aaron and Soul Fraverden. While their legacy has been immortalized by the people of Kanto, not everyone has completely moved on from such a tragic loss. Qu...
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The crowded livelihood of the Merchant Plaza had died down significantly compared to how busy it was earlier today. A handful of people remained while over half of the shops closed for the day. Some traveling merchants were in the process of packing up their stock and preparing to take their business elsewhere. While Hope preferred the less crowded area, it certainly felt odd. Perhaps the busy crowd was one of the charms the Merchant Plaza had going for it.
Nicholas and the two young adults made their way to Thorin's shop, which was way easier without the abundance of people in the area. They spotted a familiar auburn-haired young man speaking with a customer outside the shop. The customer had bid Levi goodbye, and it wasn't until he turned around that he noticed them.
"Ah, Mister Nick, you're back!" Levi acknowledged gleefully. "Pops is just about to finish the sword for your apprentice."
"Good to hear," Nicholas said with relief.
"Come on in."
Levi opened the door and allowed them into his father's shop. They were immediately welcomed with the sound of metal clashing in a rhythmic beat. Nicholas mumbled a thank you to the young man while Haku simply gave him a strict nod. Hope avoided eye contact with the auburn-haired male. She felt awkward engaging in any conversation with Levi after she rejected him a few hours ago.
Once she stepped foot into the shop, Hope was met with the death glare from Levi's Espeon that laid on a folded blanket. The blonde woman childishly scrunched up her nose at the Pokémon as she walked passed the vindictive creature. One accident was all it took for the Espeon to dislike her that much? Pokémon really were strange creatures.
"Oi, Thorin! We're back!" Nicholas called out to his friend.
The rhythmic clashing from the back suddenly stopped. Moments later, the blacksmith emerged while wiping his face with a clean cloth. Thorin reached for a canteen filled with water and took large gulps once he uncapped it.
"I see you've been working hard after I left," Nicholas teased.
"All this effort I invested in forging that beautiful sword only to gift it," Thorin feigned his complaint after closing his canteen.
"What? You decided not to charge me?"
The blacksmith chuckle. "I figured since the sword is for the lass, then I could make an exception just this once."
Thorin looked passed his friend and at Hope. Levi watched as his father approached the blonde woman, eyeing her like a soldier ready for war. What surprised him the most was the way Hope stared up at the blacksmith unwavering.
"Believe it or not, every knight has been in a similar situation as yours. When you stop to think about it, knights and aura guardians ain't all that different from one another. We both have a responsibility to protect our people and we both have expectations forged by our predecessors that we must eventually surpass. The only difference is that for you, it'll be on a greater scale."
